Chasing Twisters
by UncommonGround
Summary: Beca & Chloe get caught in a twista!
1. Part I

_And oh, I lost it all when I got hurt_

_And I can feel you even now_

_Breakin' horses in the sky_

_I can taste you in my rage_

_And in the sweat upon my brow_

The air was crisp, revitalizing. It makes you feel like anything can happen. The sky above her is clear but she can see what's coming in the distance. The calm before the storm. She's ready for it. Excited even. It's supposed to hit later this evening and she's prepared to hole up in her apartment and ride it out. Not that tonight will be much different from every other night for the past three, okay four, months. But the impending storm at least gives her an excuse for why she stayed in all night, again.

**[Jesse] movie &amp; beers tonight? they're showing jaws at the Logan at 8**

**sorry J - gonna just stay in and work on some stuff.**

**[Jesse] you can't stay away forever you know**

**you underestimate me. **

**[Jesse] I saw her today. if it makes you feel better - she still looks miserable. **

She's about to respond but a voice takes her attention away from her phone

"Hey Bec, what's good today?"

She smiles and walks over to the counter.

"Alex, you ask me that every time and I never have a good answer."

"Ah well, what you don't realize is that I'm not even looking for a good answer! I just want to know what's going on in that big, weird brain of yours." The shop owner smiles goodnaturedly, raising his eyebrows as a challenge to Beca. She swears she can see a twinkle in those big, brown eyes of his. She might be a little bit in friend love with him. She returns the smile, shaking her head when she puts both hands on the counter, leaning forward and looking him square in the eye.

"Okay then...what's good today? Hmm let's see. It's Friday night, I'm 25 years old, and I'm about to spend another weekend alone in my apartment, feeling sorry for myself, wondering how the hell I got myself into this mess. And then immediately remembering that it's because I _followed my stupid heart_ and told my best friend of 6 years that I love her only to have her stare at me like I'm an alien. Oh wait, you wanted something good. But you know what? I have nothing good to tell you. Nothing, Alex! Nothing. My life is nothing without Chloe in it."

Her voice has maybe raised four octaves and people are definitely staring and Alex's eyes have grown four sizes as well. She honestly doesn't care about the other people in the store or the fact that they just witnessed her mini freakout. She's frozen in place when she feels another hand on hers. She looks up to see Alex looking at her, a crease in his forehead, his eyes sad and empathetic. She can practically hear the wheels turning in his head, knowing he's searching for something to say. She grabs his hand, and offers a sad smile.

"You don't need to say something. Maybe we can just pretend this never happened though?"

He chuckles and is about to say something but a crack of thunder interrupts, making them both jump. Rain and hail soon follow.

"Ah shit. Okay I'm gonna go grab what I need and get out of here before it gets any worse out there."

He nods, and as soon as Beca turns around her stomach turns and her heart feels like it's going to pop out of her chest because not only has a bookstore full of strangers witnessed her freakout, but the one person she's been both avoiding and only thinking of for the past four months is staring right at her from the travel books section. They can only stare in shock at each other and Beca is about to turn around and walk out but Chloe is moving towards her and her feet are planted to the floor. She hasn't seen her in so long and she didn't realize exactly how much that hurts until she's standing right in front of her. Feeling her presence. Smelling that perfect Chloe smell. Eyes as blue as the clearest sea. Her tongue feels heavy, her mouth dry. And she is suddenly back to that moment she would like nothing more than to forget forever.

"Hey," Chloe says breathily. It's sad how one word can almost make her forget all the heartbreak, all of what's happened, all the times she's told herself that she's better off without the redhead. Without her best friend.

Beca swallows hard, and takes a deep breath. "Hi," she says a little too forcefully and Chloe chuckles. She can't help but laugh at herself too and she brings her hands up to her face, taking solace in the darkness of her closed eyes and covered face. A siren goes off and she takes her hands away, looking at Chloe for a moment, her expression matching the wide eyes.

Alex comes around from the counter and raises his voice above the sirens. "Okay everyone, let's get to the back room, it's not safe out here in the stacks". Several customers start to move to the back, but some decide to leave, running out the door. "Come back, it's not safe out there!" Alex yells, but between the sirens, howling wind, and pounding rain, his pleas are lost. Beca turns back to Chloe and before she knows it, stacks of books are falling, lights are going out, and the door is blown off its hinges. They fall to the floor in the midst of the chaos, books falling on them. Beca loses Chloe for a second, the redhead is nowhere in sight.

"Chloe!" she desperately yells. "Chloe, where are you!?"

Suddenly it all goes quiet. The sirens, the wind, the rain all quiet down. That's when she hears a small voice "Beca?"

"Chloe?!" A body emerges from a stack of books and Beca breathes an audible sigh of relief when Chloe's head pops into view.

"Oh thank God. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I think so, you?"

Beca nods silently before she answers. "Yeah yeah...Alex? Alex where are you?"

"I'm here!" a voice shouts over by the counter. She turns around and sees him lying not far from the door, sitting himself up to lean against the counter.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, just a little banged up. But I'll live," he says smiling.

"Good. I like you alive. Do you think it's over? The sirens stopped."

"I don't know, but it seems to have quieted down at least. So I'd say y -"

His words are cut short when a piercing sound comes out of nowhere and she sees nothing outside but black and gray chaos. The windows shatter and suddenly Alex is ripped away. Ripped away like he was never there and the scream that comes out of him is almost inhuman. She'll probably hear that sound forever.

"ALEX!"

She can't even begin to cry because suddenly she feels her own body being ripped away and she's holding on to dear life to a pole. A pole she's always hated because it was in the middle of the damn store and never made any sense. But right now it's the only thing between her being alive and her being sucked outside. She sees Chloe begin to move towards her, but its not on her own accord. The force of the tornado is trying to suck her out too. Beca sees the love of her life being taken away from her in front of her eyes and in that moment, she is not herself. She reaches out and grabs Chloe, pulling the redhead into her, while holding on to the pole with every fiber of her being.

She manages to pull Chloe into her, hugging her tightly, and tries to gain a better grip on the pole.

"I got you...I got you," she says, her face pressed into Chloe's head. The pressure is almost unbearable, she feels like her skin is going to be ripped from her body. Chloe holds onto her, arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Don't let me go, Beca!" Chloe yells.

She can't explain how she's able to hang on, but she doesn't question it. All she can focus on is keeping them from being taken away by this storm. She hears screams from people around her who didn't make it to the back room. She also sees more than one person ripped away in a second, taken through the wide open store front like dust into a vacuum. She looks up to see the roof peeling away, like it's being painted over with sky with swipes of a giant paintbrush. The walls and columns rattle. Books are flying everywhere.

"The roof is gonna collapse!" Beca yells and Chloe looks up in response, fear widening her eyes.

"We have to try and take cover somewhere!"

"Where!?" Chloe yells and Beca doesn't have an answer. She frantically searches the store and sees two of the shelves have fallen into each other forming a sort of teepee. Books flood the open space.

"Over there!" Beca shouts, motioning over to what she hopes is some sort of refuge. "If we can get over there between those two stacks and bury ourselves in books, maybe, just maybe we won't be crushed."

She thinks she feels Chloe laugh, her head buried in Beca's chest, and her suspicions are confirmed when Chloe lifts her head up, shaking it from side to side, and there's an unfathomable smile on her face. She too is wondering how the hell they are in this situation right now.

"How the hell are we going to get over there?" Chloes asks, her eyes searching Beca's face for an answer.

Beca thinks for a moment before shifting her body so that her back is against the pole, all the while hanging on to Chloe, who moves with her. She knows all they can do is make a move and hope they won't get sucked out. But she's pretty sure the only outcome here is stay holding on to the pole and get crushed or try and make it to the maybe life-saving teepee and probably get sucked out of the store. Her heart leaps when she sees something that she never thought the sight of would bring her such joy. It's one of the rolling ladders, fallen and stuck under books and another shelf. Hopefully anchored enough for them to use it as a bridge to their safety.

"Chloe, whatever you do, don't let go of the pole until I say , okay?"

"Okay!" Chloe yells, nodding along with her response. Beca shifts so Chloe can hold onto the pole where she just was. She looks at Chloe briefly before launching herself at the ladder. The moments between the pole and the ladder feel like they move in slow motion, but at the same time are over before she knows it, and she feels the wood beneath her grasp and she hooks her arm around it and holds on for dear life. She looks back at Chloe and motions for her to grab onto her.

"Grab my legs Chloe! Use my body to climb over here!"

She sees Chloe nod, but she stays frozen. Their eyes meet and she can see the fear on Chloe's face.

"Chloe! I know it's scary but please just trust me!'

Chloe nods again and pushes herself off the pole and reaches for Beca, successfully grabbing her legs and pulling herself up the brunette's body.

"Good job! Okay...we just got to make it a few more feet. Don't let go of me!"

They manage to crawl their way over to space between the fallen shelves, but the second Beca thinks they have a reprieve, everything goes black and suddenly she can't feel Chloe anymore.

**A/N: I watched Into The Storm and also have had Delta Rae on repeat lately. Lyrics are from their song, Chasing Twisters. The picture of Beca holding onto Chloe while a tornado threatens to take her away was stuck in my head, and also them being forced into a situation together and having to face some conflict in their relationship. thanks for reading, you beautiful human.**


	2. Part II

_And I went home,_

_Chasing twisters in the canyon_

_My cathedral is the badlands_

_Dust and devils on my conscience_

_Come back to me darlin'_

Beca wakes with a start. It's dark, but some light is streaming in through the cracks of debris. Water drips in, hitting her skin, reminding her that she's alive.

She's alive.

Her ears are ringing but she's alive. She feels something trickle into her eye. It's warm. It's blood. Her hand goes to her forehead, wincing as she feels what is probably a large gash. It fucking hurts. And that thought snaps her into reality. To where she is. To who she is with.

Chloe.

Where's Chloe?

"Chloe?!" she says, trying to shout but it comes out a little strangled. It only takes a second for her eyes to fall on the redhead who is lying not far from her, body half covered in books and debris. Her eyes are closed and she's not moving. Beca's stomach drops because she doesn't see any sign of breathing.

"Chloe!" she shouts again, louder this time. Desperate. She tries to move herself closer, but she can't. The shelf teepee did in fact shelter them somewhat, but so much still collapsed on them. Struggling, she eventually shimmies herself free and crawls quickly but carefully over to Chloe. She looks around, desperate for any other signs of life. Of rescue. But all she can hear is water dripping and the building groaning in agony.

"Chloe, come on...please wake up! Please!" She's crying now, tears and blood mixing in a stream down her face. "Please...don't be dead...don't be dead..." The redhead doesn't stir. As far as Beca can tell she's still alive, she thinks. She puts her head to her chest, weeping as soon as she senses a heartbeat. Laying down, her head next to Chloe's, all she can do now is wait. Wait for rescue. Wait for Chloe to wake up. Wait for nothing.

Wait.

* * *

Time passes slowly. Distantly. Chloe is still motionless, save for a slight rise and fall of her chest. A movement Beca cherishes and watches intently. She turns her head, examining the side of Chloe's profile

"I'm sorry Chloe. I'm so sorry."

She hears Chloe's phone go off somewhere in the rubble, but she can't find it. It's somehow not crushed and ringing and probably Aubrey, who could have the whole fucking National Guard outside this crumbled bookstore in a heartbeat with the way she gets things done. Maybe Aubrey knew she was here, they tell each other everything. Of course Beca is Beca and told nobody of her whereabouts today and has been a hermit for months and basically shut herself off from everyone.

So.

She's basically doomed herself with self pity. Way to go, Beca.

Aubrey has to know Chloe came here, she thinks. She has too. Someone is going to be here soon and they're going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay. Chloe is going to be okay.

Chloe has to be okay.

Her lungs expand and her mouth spreads wide and she's screaming. She's screaming because she hates herself. She hates herself for who she became after that night at Chloe's. She's screaming because she's better than that. She's better than the shell of a person she has been for months. She's screaming because her heart aches. Aches for herself. Aches for Chloe. Aches for the chance to go back in time and change everything. She'd be better, she tells herself. But she needs Chloe, who made her feel like she mattered, like she could do anything. Like she wasn't just the sum of her mistakes and flaws.

Screaming turns to crying. Crying because her who body hurts. Crying because Alex got ripped away in a second. Crying because she desperately needs for Chloe to not be dead. Crying because she wants to see Jesse's goofy face again. And her parents too. Crying because she can't die with this many regrets weighing on her like a ton of bricks...or in her current case, like an entire building.

Crying turns to silence which turns to singing because why the hell not. Maybe she can sing Chloe back to consciousness.

_So don't leave me_

_Say you need me_

_Have a little faith in what we've made_

_Just think about how strong our love has grown_

_Think about how good these seeds have sown_

_I will love you_

_I will love you my whole life long_

"Beca?"

Her body freezes, her heart stops. She quickly sits up, facing the redhead. "Chloe?! Hey I'm here, I'm here."

She sees the most beautiful sight when Chloe moves to look at her and she smiles the moment their eyes meet. "Hey."

"Hi."

They revel in the reunion for a moment before Chloe frowns when she takes in Beca's state.

"Beca, your head! It's bleeding!" Chloe shoots up, and Beca sees her quickly pause and hold her head.

"Hey take it easy, you've been out a while."

Chloe nods and takes deep breaths.

"There ya go. Just breathe."

Beca inches closer to Chloe and can't help the hitch in her breath when their eyes meet again once Chloe raises her head up. But blue eyes wander north and Chloe grimaces at the sight of Beca's wound. She rips off part of her shirt and presses it to Beca's forehead, applying pressure to her wound, using another strip to tie around her head, keeping the patch of fabric in place.

"Thanks."

"How do you feel?" Chloe asks, taking in Beca's state.

"Hurts. But I'll live." Beca's eyes wander, surveying their surroundings. "I'd say lets try and make a break for it but I'm afraid if we move anything, it'll be like the most terrifying game of Jenga."

Chloe chuckles and shakes her head. After a few moments, Beca realizes she's now crying.

"I'm so sorry Beca."

"Chloe, a tornado did this, not you."

"No...I'm sorry about...what happened."

"Oh...that. Look you don't need to be sorry...I -"

"No, Beca, just listen!"

"I really don't want to talk about this right now. Chlo -"

"Well too bad because we're stuck here and I need you to hear me out!"

There's a fire in those blue eyes and a edge in that voice that startles Beca, so with a defeated sigh, she hangs her head before looking at Chloe, wordlessly telling her to continue.

"For years I listened to you talk about relationships and commitment like they were the plague, like they were a death sentence. And it killed me everytime because I was _in love_ with you, Beca. I was in love with you for so long I couldn't remember a time I wasn't in love with you. But I wasn't sure where you stood. I mean I knew you loved me like friends love each other but I just didn't know if it went beyond that. And I would rather have you in my life as a friend than risk blurting out my feelings and lose you. Because I need you."

Beca's breath is becoming unsteady, she bites her lip and swallows hard. She can feel the tears in her eyes. Chloe takes a breath and continues.

"And then last year, after...after I started dating Haley, something changed in you...I would see you with all those girls every weekend. We'd go out and you'd take a different girl home every night. It's no wonder she broke up with me, she caught on pretty quick. So that day you barged in my apartment and announced you loved me, I froze. I froze because I never anticipated you _ever_ feeling the same way, and it didn't seem real that you were there. That you were telling me you were in love with me. God, Beca, I just _froze_. And I'm so sorry! I was just caught off guard and -"

"I didn't sleep with any of them," Beca confesses softly. "I could never go through with it. I felt like I was cheating on you."

All they can do is just stare at each other for a while. Disbelief running through their thoughts. What a mess both of them are. Stuck in this pile of rubble and destruction, cradled by countless words telling tales of similar woes.

They meet in the middle, lips crashing into each other. It's hungry and eager. Chloe's hands cup Beca's face, while Beca's hands find Chloe's waist. They stay glued to each other, lips moving in tandem until Beca breaks away because she feels lightheaded that has nothing to do with the kiss. Chloe's expression turns worried and she keeps hold a firm, but gentle hold of Beca's face to keep her upright.

Beca smiles, keeping her eyes trained on the beautiful face in front of her until Chloe gently leans her forehead against Beca's, letting silence fall between them for a little bit.

"I'm really scared," Beca admits weakly, her lips trembling.

"Hey you listen to me...we are going to get out of here. You and me." Chloe looks around, attempting to see if there's any way out. There's not much room to even move about. They hear the phone go off again and Chloe jumps to try and find it. She frantically searches around, but it goes silent before she can locate it.

"Shit!" Chloe says, hanging her head. Beca just watches her, wishing, praying, she could do something to get them out of out here. She feels woozy and tired, but fights it, and turns her attention to their surroundings, focusing her energy on finding a way out. Something to the right of her catches her eye, something she missed. It's covered in debris, but she swears it's a ladder beneath it all. And it's landed upright, leading up to freedom.

"Chloe, come here! Do you see that?"

Chloe moves close to Beca, following the line of where her finger is pointed. Chloe releases a gasp and moves closer to investigate. She looks up, straining her neck and eyes. Water drips on her face and she has to hold her arm up to keep her vision clear.

"Is there a way out?"

Chloe doesn't respond right away, her movements indicating she's still looking but then she suddenly stops and when she turns to Beca, there's a big smile on her face, and she's soon right in front of the brunette, smiling and holding her face. And then her lips are on Beca's, firm and purposeful. She pulls away and kisses all over Beca's face. Chloe keeps her hands on Beca's cheeks when she pulls back again.

"We're getting out of here," Chloe claims, with a hopeful smile and Beca nods, smiling back, but a wave of grief hits her and she can't help the tears that are now spilling out. She's thinking about Alex and how he was ripped away right in front of her eyes, his life extinguished in a matter of seconds. How Chloe was here of all places today. She's thinking about that moment she couldn't tell if Chloe was breathing or not. And if she didn't wake up it would have been all Beca's fault.

"I thought you were dead, Chloe. You were here because of me and I thought you were dead."

"But I'm not Beca. I'm not dead, I'm right here!"

"You were so still. You weren't m-moving. And _all_ I could do was sit here and be helpless and worthless. I thought...God, I thought..."

Chloe holds her by the shoulders, eyes brimming with tears as well but they stay put as she tries to calm Beca down, tries to make her meet her eyes. Her body is shaking. She goes somewhere else, reality slipping away and all she sees is Chloe's lifeless body. Forever gone to a place she can't reach her. Can't touch her. Can't tell her she's sorry. And all she can do is cry. Because it hurts. God, it hurts.

"It hurts..."

She feels soft thumbs on her cheeks, wiping away tears. She hears a soft voice, slowly getting louder as reality fades back into view. It's blurry at first, but soon Chloe's face comes into focus, her worries eyes trained on Beca's.

"It hurts," she repeats, barely above a whisper.

Chloe pulls her close, placing a lingering kiss on Beca's cheek, lips then moving close to her ear. "I know it does. But I'm right here. Focus on my voice." Chloe pulls back so she can raise Beca's hand to her chest. "Feel my heartbeat."

Beca closes her eyes and lets the sound of Chloe's voice wash over her, reassure her. She adds a little more pressure to the press of her palm on Chloe's chest, before removing her hand and replacing it with her ear. The combination of feeling her heart beating and hearing it finally calms her down. She takes her hands from where they were resting on Chloe's thighs and wraps her arms around Chloe's torso, keeping her ear pressed where it is. She feels Chloe's arms wrap around her, and her head rests on top of Beca's.

"I thought I lost you," Beca whispers.

"You didn't. You never could."

They both hear the sirens start again. They feel the shake of the ruins. And the roar of a giant impending funnel. Chloe doesn't need to hear Beca's voice when she looks back up to her and yells "I love you." She knows it now and maybe she's known it all along. She feels it in the press of her lips. She sees it in her eyes as she looks into them, one last time.


	3. Part III

_So kiss me now_

_This whiskey on my breath_

_Feel the lives that I have taken_

_What little soul that I have left_

_And oh, my god_

_I'll take you to the grave_

_The only love I've ever known_

_The only soul I've ever saved_

The first thing she registers is the sound of water. And waves. The ocean to be exact.

She's lying on her back in the sand. And it's so warm. A perfect breeze passes by every so often.

She feels...perfect. It's unreal. It's like...heaven.

"Nice isn't it?"

The voice startles her and she turns her head to the source of the sound finding Chloe mirroring her position, her eyes facing the sky.

"Chloe?"

The other girl turns her head towards Beca to meet her eyes, a playful smirk on her face.

"Beca?" she questions playfully.

"Are we...um..."

"Dead?"

Beca's eyebrows raise at the question directed towards her and she nods. Chloe sighs and turns her attention back to the clouds.

"It would seem that way."

She thinks on that for a moment before getting up and taking in her surroundings. It's the most beautiful beach she's ever seen. And she can only imagine what the rest of the island looks like. She walks to the water, the tide coming in just then to wash over her feet. It's the perfect temperature.

She calls out to Chloe who is in the exact spot she left her. "So the afterlife, or whatever this is...is a beach. With you?"

Beca sees her smile and thinks maybe she won't receive an answer but then Chloe stands up and walks right over to her. For some reason she's surprised when arms slide around her neck and she's pulled flush against Chloe's body. That doesn't stop her own hands from grasping at Chloe's waist, though, and she's surprised once again when warm lips are suddenly on hers. But that doesn't stop her from returning the action and she's rewarded with a body pressing into hers and a permanence of lips. She's dizzy when Chloe pulls away, her head immediately moving forward to rectify the lack of contact. But she comes up short when her lips are met with a finger lightly pressing against them instead.

"Are you disappointed?"

She can't help but smile, knowing the cheeky smirk Chloe is no doubt wearing. Her assumptions are confirmed when she opens her eyes to find the bluest, clearest, fairy-tale eyes staring right back at her, and an expression that says her answer better be nothing but-

"Not a chance."

Chloe smiles and whispers a barely audible "good" before they're lips are joined again in a kiss that can only exist in a place like this.

All of a sudden Chloe breaks away and Beca is flat on her back, Chloe hovering over her, knees on either side of her hips. Not that she's complaining.

"So the afterlife comes with surprise ninja skills?"

Chloe smiles, and one eyebrow twitches upwards. "Among other things."

Beca would wrap her arms around Chloe's waist, but they're currently pinned above her head, held in place by Chloe's heavenly strength.

"So what's next?"

"Stay still," Chloe whispers, inches from Beca's lips. She can only nod slightly, hypnotized by blue eyes staring right into her own.

"We have to stop the bleeding."

Beca's face contorts into confusion, unsure of why Chloe would say that.

"What?"

"You're going to be okay, Beca! Just hang on. You have to stay still!"

"Chloe - wha -?"

Her words are cut short by a scream coming from her own mouth. She looks down to see blood gushing out of her body, by her shoulder. And something is sticking out of it. Something that absolutely does not belong in her body. Chloe's hands are pressing around it with a bunched up shirt. Chloe's shirt it seems since she's now shirtless. She's got a wild look in her eye. Determined. Terrified. Tears and blood mix in streaks down her face.

There are no more kisses. There is no more beach. There is no more Chloe. Just pain.

"Aaaarrrgghhh!"

"I know it hurts, but help is here. Stay with me!"

"I died! WE died! I want to go back. Just let me go back!"

"Beca Mitchell you are alive and I am alive and you better fucking stay that way!"

She sees flashes of Chloe's face, of rubble around her, of faces she doesn't recognize. She screams some more, and cries. All she can feel is pain.

She hears a voice she doesn't recognize say something about the building collapsing and they don't have much time. She's pretty sure the building has already collapsed, more than once.

"Try and calm down and breathe, okay?"

She hears Chloe's voice but it feels far. She focuses her energy on that voice, repressing the pain as best she can. Her screams and cries lessen, manifesting into agonizing grunts. She clenches her teeth and closes her eyes, focusing again on Chloe's voice. When she opens her eyes, she finds Chloe smiling, tears streaking through the blood and dirt.

"Hey."

Beca smiles, although it may be more of a grimace, clenching her jaw through another wave of pain, before replying which comes out in her next breath. "Hi."

"You're going to be okay, Beca."

"We were at the beach. Just me and you. It was perfect. It was perfect, Chloe."

"Sounds pretty perfect."

"Can we go back there?"

Everything is starting to feel farther away. The pain. Chloe. The other voices yelling somewhere else. Her own voice.

"Yes...yes we can. When we get out of here, we're going to go. Okay?"

She manages a nod, and a shooting pain hits her. It's getting harder to breathe, but she has to fight a little longer. She's not dying without telling one more thing to Chloe.

"I love...I love you...Chloe."

She can tell Chloe hears the finality in her voice. The redhead chokes back tears and whatever pain is tearing through her heart and body.

"I love you too and I'm going to keep telling you that for a long time because you're going to be okay."

"Okay."

**A/N: There will be a part 4. Interpret that as you wish. And of course, thanks for reading and reviewing. HUGS FOR ALL. **


	4. Part IV

_And I've been waiting for so long now_

_I can feel you in the hollow_

_And every cloud on the horizon_

_Come back to me darlin'_

"We need to stop the bleeding and get that debris out."

"Is she going to be okay?!"

"Ma'am please step back."

"Please don't let her die."

"She's crashing!"

"BECA!"

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know if she'll wake up?!"

"All we can do is wait. I'm sorry."

* * *

There is no sand. There is no ocean. There is no island.

There's beeping.

There's a weight on her left arm.

And she feels absolutely terrible.

"uuuughhh."

Nothing.

"uuugghh!"

The weight off her arm lifts and though it's blurry, she sees flashes of something familiar. She can faintly hear voices, and soon more flashes of something come into view. They slowly begin to take shape. As people. They're are several people buzzing around, touching her, looking at monitors and charts. Her eyes are so heavy, so she closes them again. One of the shapes opens her eyes back up, one at a time, flashing a light into them.

"Beca? Beca, can you hear me?"

"Uugghh."

"Beca? I'm here. Open those eyes for me, come on."

"Chl -"

God, everything hurts. Where's a fantasy beach when you need one?

"That's right, it's me."

She can feel a gentle hand on her forehead, a thumb softly stroking back and forth, as well as someone's hand in hers, where the weight once was. Slowly things come into focus. There's a very serious face she doesn't recognize. Well, a couple of them actually. She sees Jesse and her dad at the foot of her bed. Both looking like they don't know whether to be happy or cry. Aubrey steps into view, next to Jesse, holding what looks like a tray of coffees, a smile on her face.

She's dead she knows it. Because Aubrey is smiling at her and Aubrey never smiles at her. At least not with that kind of smile.

Finally her eyes land on a face that makes the corner of her mouth turn up just the slightest.

"Chloe," she says in a strained breath.

Tears run down the redhead's face, but she's smiling. She can see cuts and bruises on her face, some more healed than others.

"Hey," Chloe whispers, still smiling.

"Hi."

"Welcome back."

Her energy level is pretty much nonexistent so she just smiles back in response and closes her eyes. She drifts in and out, but somewhere in between those drifts, everyone else squeezes her hand or uninjured shoulder and welcomes her back to consciousness. But fatigue and pain overwhelm her and soon she's drifting away again.

* * *

It's late when she wakes, the hospital halls are dark and scarce, as well as her room. She feels more like herself than the last time. Everything still hurts but she's not so much in a daze anymore. And when she turns her head to find Chloe, eagerly awaiting her return to the conscious world.

"You're here," Beca rasps out, a lopsided smile pulling at one side of her mouth.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Are we dead?"

"No."

Beca hums, closing her eyes again. "That would explain why I feel like shit then."

Chloe chuckles softly. "Yes, it would seem that way."

She can't help but laugh at hearing those words. Remembering the last time Chloe spoke them. Beca untangles her hand from Chloe's and when she is given a questioning look, she pats the space beside her.

"Get in here."

"Beca, I can't - I don't want to hurt you."

"Please?"

It seems she can't deny her any more because Chloe carefully climbs into her bed. Beca scoots over to make room, and holy shit it hurts to move, but it's worth it when Chloe presses into her side, legs tangle, and an arm slides over her waist. She revels in the feel of soft breathing on her neck, and gentle kisses to her shoulder. Her good arm is wrapped around Chloe's shoulders.

"It felt so real."

"What did?"

"Dying." She finally voices the question she can't make sense of. "Chloe, how did we not die? How did we not die and everyone else did?"

"I don't know. It all happened so fast. One moment I was looking at you, thinking it was the last time I'd ever be able to do that. And, God, the sound was...unreal. Like the world was being torn apart. That's all it was for a while. Just noise. All I could do was hear everything around me being torn apart. And I could feel you. Holding on to me so tight. And in an instant you were gone. And then it all stopped. It was silent. _So silent. _ And I couldn't find you. And when I did, you were so still. And there was so much blood." She hears Chloe's take a breath, and it's a few moments before she speaks again. "Beca, you thought you were in heaven, but I was _in hell_ for those moments...that I didn't think would _ever_ end. You were so pale and there was so much blood."

She feels tears on her skin and holds Chloe a little bit tighter, as much as she can. She knows the feeling. She remembers waiting for Chloe to wake up. Knows the weight of that reality. Of being so close to her, but feeling so alone. Feeling so powerless.

"When you came to, it was like someone shocked my heart. You were in so much pain but you were _alive!_"

She doesn't know how to respond so she kisses Chloe instead. It's not a romantic moment. It doesn't explain or answer the whys and hows. But it's all she can do right now when words fail her. Chloe is hesitant at first, not wanting to putting any stress on Beca's body, but then gives in completely when Beca doesn't let up. It's reminiscent of the one they shared on the beach. She feels her heartbeat pick up and pain shoot through her injured shoulder when Chloe presses into her a little too forcefully, and she has to pull away with a gasp and a grimace.

Chloe is armed with apologies, her body staying still so as not to set off any more ripples of pain.

When the pain subsides and she is breathing steadier, she looks over at Chloe, smiling at the guilty look on her face.

"Totally worth it."

Chloe can only shake her head and chuckle before carefully removing herself from Beca's arms, ignoring her protests.

"_You _need to rest. I don't think the doctors would appreciate the reason your vitals crashed was because you can't keep it in your pants."

"_My _pants, huh?"

Chloe smiles and leans down to press a soft kiss on her forehead, gently brushing back any hair in the way. "Rest, Beca. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Mmm...I'm gonna dream about islands and making out with you," she answers softly, unable to stifle back a yawn. "I love you, Chloe."

Fatigue overwhelms her but not before hearing Chloe say, "I love you too, Beca."

THE END.

...OR IS IT.

**A/N: **

**2 years later Beca &amp; Chloe got married and moved to a tropical island. Chloe did coconut art and Beca never let her go unkissed. **

**Until...ISLAND TORNADOES. cue the sirens. **

**Just kidding. **

**((thanks for all your kind reviews and keeping up with the story. You are all the wind beneath my wings)) **


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